HC Deb 11 November 1999 vol 337 cc796-8W
Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total numbers of(a) applications and (b) recruits were in each police force in each of the last three years; what the ratio was of applications to recruits per force in each year; and if he will make a statement. [98174]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The following tables show the number of applications to join the police service received by each force in each of the last three years, the numbers of appointments on probation (the most accurate assessment we have of the numbers of new recruits to the police service) for each force in the same periods and the ratio of applications to new appointments on probation.

The figures have been supplied by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. The numbers of appointments on probation differ from the number of total recruits to police forces in England and Wales which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary gave the hon. Member on 21 October 1999, Official Report, column 624. This is because the latter include transfers between forces.

1996–97
Forces Police formal applications Police appointments on probation Ratio applications/ appointment
Avon and Somerset 0 141 0
Bedfordshire 21 12 2
Cambridgeshire 1,099 96 11
Cheshire 829 103 8
City of London 446 42 11
Cleveland 1,393 80 17
Cumbria 1,053 74 14
Derbyshire 807 77 10
Devon and Cornwall 1,064 94 11
Dorset 377 60 6
Durham 1,343 106 13
Dyfed-Powys 573 45 13
Essex 1,241 185 7
Gloucestershire 322 60 5
Greater Manchester 2,366 345 7
Gwent 932 68 14

1996–97
Forces Police formal applications Police appointments on probation Ratio applications/ appointment
Hampshire 1,797 235 8
Hertfordshire 659 126 5
Humberside 194 72 3
Kent 1,016 268 4
Lancashire 1,765 182 10
Leicestershire 962 135 7
Lincolnshire 1,236 109 11
Merseyside 41 57 1
Metropolitan Police 3,941 670 6
Norfolk 603 95 6
North Wales 316 0 0
North Yorkshire 434 63 7
Northamptonshire 469 65 7
Northumbria 1,486 177 8
Nottinghamshire 927 89 10
South Wales 2,208 152 15
South Yorkshire 1,180 200 6
Staffordshire 620 99 6
Suffolk 1,576 100 16
Surrey 543 55 10
Sussex 442 158 3
Thames Valley 1,556 183 9
Warwickshire 201 0 0
West Mercia 600 110 5
West Midlands 2,212 388 6
West Yorkshire 1,660 267 6
Wiltshire 264 20 13
England and Wales
Total 42,774 5,663 8

1997–98
Forces Police formal applications Police appointments on probation Ratio applications/ appointment
Avon and Somerset 621 105 6
Bedfordshire 284 46 6
Cambridgeshire 473 58 8
Cheshire 829 87 10
City of London 638 29 22
Cleveland 0 56 0
Cumbria 389 46 8
Derbyshire 612 61 10
Devon and Cornwall 1,000 172 6
Dorset 665 75 9
Durham 848 105 8
Dyfed-Powys 861 33 26
Essex 304 108 3
Gloucestershire 1,013 27 38
Greater Manchester 2,614 436 6
Gwent 308 31 10
Hampshire 929 182 5
Hertfordshire 314 63 5
Humberside 219 70 3
Kent 261 118 2
Lancashire 1,307 111 12
Leicestershire 711 115 6
Lincolnshire 1,077 36 30
Merseyside 3,064 160 19
Metropolitan Police 4,633 1,164 4
Norfolk 408 55 7
North Wales 638 63 10
North Yorkshire 607 65 9
Northamptonshire 432 52 8
Northumbria 2,044 227 9
Nottinghamshire 867 0 0
South Wales 1,654 170 10

1997–98
Forces Police formal applications Police appointments on probation Ratio applications/ appointment
South Yorkshire 786 135 6
Staffordshire 1,260 220 6
Suffolk 834 69 12
Surrey 731 112 7
Sussex 2,108 136 16
Thames Valley 1,889 258 7
Warwickshire 695 54 13
West Mercia 867 62 14
West Midlands 3,272 445 7
West Yorkshire 975 182 5
Wiltshire 293 60 5
England and Wales
total 44,334 5,859 8

1998–99
Forces Police formal applications Police appointments on probation Ratio applications/ appointment
Avon and Somerset 1,367 90 15
Bedfordshire 503 34 15
Cambridgeshire 421 35 12
Cheshire 1,075 89 12
City of London 135 15 9
Cleveland 0 0 0
Cumbria 280 23 12
Derbyshire 591 43 14
Devon and Cornwall 590 54 11
Dorset 300 35 9
Durham 775 87 9
Dyfed-Powys 1,085 32 34
Essex 687 88 8
Gloucestershire 377 61 6
Greater Manchester 2,178 217 10
Gwent 601 53 11
Hampshire 744 116 6
Hertfordshire 653 67 10
Humberside 795 36 22
Kent 829 236 4
Lancashire 97 64 2
Leicestershire 582 85 7
Lincolnshire 0 6 0
Merseyside 1,406 133 11
Metropolitan Police 6,222 1,586 4
Norfolk 312 19 16
North Wales 543 62 9
North Yorkshire 15 17 1
Northamptonshire 259 25 10
Northumbria 1,781 234 8
Nottinghamshire 0 0 0
South Wales 1,902 165 12
South Yorkshire 745 84 9
Staffordshire 124 17 7
Suffolk 0 60 0
Surrey 594 124 5
Sussex 1,087 92 12
Thames Valley 579 144 4
Warwickshire 917 33 28
West Mercia 695 83 8
West Midlands 4,023 467 9
West Yorkshire 96 14 7
Wiltshire 130 36 4
England and Wales
total 36,095 4,961 7